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June 24, 2008

Three Years and Three Cities Later, Johnson Controls Develops Even More Young Leaders

by Sam Savage

MILWAUKEE, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The ingenious summer teen jobs program Johnson Controls started three years ago has grown from helping 40 City of Milwaukee students in 2006 to benefitting 322 diverse students in Milwaukee, Baltimore and Detroit over three years. The continued expansion of the Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC) ensures more opportunities to connect young adults to their communities and the environment with support from local businesses.

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"The Conservation Leadership Corps uniquely brings together our core values of environmental stewardship, leadership development and diversity by cultivating young leaders and improving their communities," said Charles A. Harvey, vice president, Diversity and Public Affairs at Johnson Controls. "We are thrilled that the success of the program has enabled us to offer it in new markets across the nation and to also explore the potential of developing it on a global scale."

High school students in each city are selected from hundreds of applicants based on their application and ability to successfully complete the interview process. Qualified teens participate in the seven-week program, which provides meaningful summer employment that educates them on the importance of environmental awareness, leadership skills and work ethic. The CLC begins with one week of job readiness training that includes financial literacy education and team-building sessions. Following orientation week, students engage in six weeks of field and conservation work, including parks improvement and mentoring exercises in their home communities.

Johnson Controls extends its leadership in sustainability to all aspects of corporate responsibility, making the CLC an ideal program to reach youth through environmentally-conscious practices. The company is the primary funder of the CLC across all three cities in partnership with the Student Conservation Association (SCA). The program receives additional support from various local businesses and foundations in each market creating a total investment of $1.4 million. Funding provides each student with a competitive hourly wage, tools and equipment for projects, and activities such as Environmental Education days that extend their instruction further to help in preparation for work after graduation.

About Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls is the global leader that brings ingenuity to the places where people live, work and travel. By integrating technologies, products and services, we create smart environments that redefine the relationships between people and their surroundings. Our team of 140,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world through our products and services for more than 200 million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings. Our commitment to sustainability drives our environmental stewardship, good corporate citizenship in our workplaces and communities, and the products and services we provide to customers. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/.

About SCA

The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is a nationwide conservation force of college and high school volunteers who protect and restore America's parks, forests, and other public lands. For more than 50 years, SCA's active, hands-on approach to conservation has helped to develop a new generation of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save our planet. For more information, visit: http://www.thesca.org/